@samanthaschneidermd Ever wondered what it takes to become a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon? 🤔 It’s not just medical school and residency—there’s an extra year of intense, hands-on training focused on skin cancer surgery, pathology, and reconstruction! 🔬🩺 From perfecting the art of microscopic margin control to mastering complex surgical repairs, fellowship training is all about giving patients the best possible outcomes. 💯 Let’s break it down! 👇 #MohsSurgery #FellowshipTrained #Dermatology #SkinCancerExpert ♬ original sound - Samantha Schneider, MD

What Does “Fellowship-Trained” Really Mean? Here’s Why It Matters for Your Skin Health
By Dr. Schneider, Board-Certified Dermatologist & Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeon

You may have heard the term “fellowship-trained” doctor before—but do you actually know what it means?

As a board-certified dermatologist and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, I get this question a lot. So let’s break it down: What is fellowship training, and why should it matter to you when choosing a specialist?

First, the Path to Becoming a Dermatologist

Let’s take a quick look at the journey to becoming a dermatologist:

👩‍🎓 4 years of college
🏥 4 years of medical school
🩺 1-year medical internship (in general medicine)
💼 3 years of dermatology residency

At this point, I had completed 12 years of higher education and clinical training. I was board-certified and fully qualified to practice dermatology.

So What’s Fellowship Training?

After residency, some physicians choose to pursue fellowship training—an additional year (or more) of focused education to develop deeper expertise in a specific area of their specialty.

In dermatology, common fellowships include:

• 👶 Pediatric Dermatology
  
  
• 🔬 Dermatopathology
  
  
• 🧴 Mohs Micrographic Surgery (my specialty)
  
  

Why I Chose a Fellowship in Mohs Surgery

After my dermatology residency, I wanted to further specialize in the treatment of skin cancer using Mohs micrographic surgery—a precise, tissue-sparing technique with a high cure rate.

I completed a one-year, hands-on fellowship where I:

• Treated more than 1,500 skin cancers
  
  
• Gained extensive experience in complex surgical repairs
  
  
• Learned advanced techniques for preserving both health and appearance
  
  

This training allows me to confidently diagnose, remove, and reconstruct skin cancer cases in my office with precision and care.

Why Fellowship Training Matters to You

When you see a fellowship-trained physician, you’re seeing someone who’s pursued an extra level of education, experience, and specialization—above and beyond the already rigorous training required to practice medicine.

It’s always okay to ask:

• What does your training include?
  
  
• Are you fellowship-trained?
  
  
• How many cases like mine have you treated?
  
  

We’re proud of the paths we’ve taken—and always happy to explain how our training benefits you as the patient.

The Bottom Line

Fellowship training is a commitment to going further—for the sake of deeper knowledge, refined skill, and better patient outcomes. Whether it’s treating skin cancer, working with children, or analyzing biopsies, fellowship-trained dermatologists offer focused expertise in some of the most important areas of skin health.

Got questions about my training—or how Mohs surgery works? I’m always here to help.

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Want the transcript for this video instead?  

You may have heard the term fellowship trained doctor, but do you know what that means? I'm Dr. Schneider, and I'm a board certified dermatologist and a board certified and fellowship trained MO surgeon. Let's talk about fellowship training. After completing medical school and residency, some doctors go through additional fellowship training to gain even more expertise.

Just a review to become a dermatologist. I had to go to college for four years, then medical school for four years. During medical school, I decided that I wanted to be a dermatologist, so I applied for dermatology residency training programs. After medical school, I did one year of medical internship, which is general medicine, followed by three years of dermatology specific training.

At this point, after graduating from residency, I could have just practiced dermatology, but I decided I wanted to do specialized training in mo's micrographic surgery so that I could also treat skin cancer patients. So I did an additional year of fellowship training to be able to perform most surgery in my office.

During my one year of fellowship training, I participated in the treatment of more than 1500 skin cancers and the repair of those defects. In dermatology, there are different types of fellowships, including pediatric dermatology, dermatopathology and MO surgery to name a few. Understanding the training of your doctor is important.

If you're unsure, ask questions. We're happy to explain how we got to where we're at.